Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyHemodynamic outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement and medical management in severe, inoperable aortic stenosis: a longitudinal echocardiographic study of cohort B of the PARTNER trial.
Inoperable aortic stenosis may be treated with either transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or medical management (MM) with or without balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV). The aim of this study was to compare the long-term echocardiographic findings among TAVR, MM, and BAV in patients with severe, inoperable aortic stenosis. ⋯ TAVR results in immediate and sustained relief in pressure overload and improved LV systolic function, with continued regression of hypertrophy over 3 years. Poor clinical results with BAV are explained by the modest and transient reductions in pressure overload with BAV, which were not accompanied by improved LV function or remodeling. TAVR is the preferred treatment in eligible inoperable patients (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00530894).
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Jan 2015
Recommendations for cardiac chamber quantification by echocardiography in adults: an update from the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.
The rapid technological developments of the past decade and the changes in echocardiographic practice brought about by these developments have resulted in the need for updated recommendations to the previously published guidelines for cardiac chamber quantification, which was the goal of the joint writing group assembled by the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. This document provides updated normal values for all four cardiac chambers, including three-dimensional echocardiography and myocardial deformation, when possible, on the basis of considerably larger numbers of normal subjects, compiled from multiple databases. In addition, this document attempts to eliminate several minor discrepancies that existed between previously published guidelines.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Jan 2015
Value of interactive scanning for improving the outcome of new-learners in transcontinental tele-echocardiography (VISION-in-Tele-Echo) study.
Point-of-care (POC) echocardiography may be helpful for mass triage, but such a strategy requires adequately trained sonographers at the remote site. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of using a novel POC echocardiography training program for improving physicians' imaging skills during preanesthetic cardiac evaluations performed in a community camp organized for treating cataract blindness. ⋯ This study establishes the feasibility of using short-duration, one-on-one, personalized transcontinental tele-echocardiography education for wider dissemination of echocardiographic skills to local physicians in remote communities, essential for optimizing global cardiovascular health.